Teen solo toy drive nets 750 gifts for those in need

While she didn’t meet her target, Oak Bay teen Leah Smith is pleased with the result of her one-girl toy drive over the weekend.

“I collected about 750 toys so unfortunately I didn’t meet the goal but I received great support from the community,” says Leah.

In her fourth year of a toy drive on Oak Bay Avenue, she hoped to gather 1,000 new and gently used items to donate to the Salvation Army’s Stan Hagen Centre for Families ahead of Christmas. The centre hosts a pop-up shop where clients can pick up gifts each year, and she says, were thrilled with the donation.

Leah was pleased with the turnout Saturday and Sunday.

“I had all ages donate, from a three-year-old to some of the older seniors in community,” she says.

An Oak Bay High Grade 11 student, she expects to hit the street again next year.